Love Is Beautiful
by Just Another Wise Girl
Summary: Annabeth Chase couldn't help but fall for her best friend Percy Jackson. Even if he thinks that love is destructive and he continuously states that he will never fall in love, she can't do anything but hope that he will change his mind because to her, love is a beautiful thing. AU. Kind of OOC. Oneshot.


**Hey guys! This is just a one-shot of my OTP Percabeth! Read and Enjoy! Oh and the cover photo was created by viria**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Perseus Jackson. All right go to Uncle Rick!**

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**Love Is Beautiful**

Annabeth was living a tough life.

Her father had just recently passed away three months ago and now she's moving all the way across the country to a city that she's never seen before at the mere age of twelve. Annabeth doesn't feel too bad about the move though. It's not like there was anything she'd miss there, besides the warm Californian weather.

Despite her academic excellence and her athletic ability, Annabeth didn't seem to 'fit in' anywhere. The kids at school would constantly tease her about her intelligence and her uniquely rare grey eyes. Although Annabeth enjoyed learning, she had always hated school. Despised it even. She felt so alone and unwanted there and when she'd tell her mother about what was happening, she'd simply shrug it off and tell her that she doesn't need friends since they would just distract her from her studies.

Annabeth's mother, Athena, was never so cold. She was actually a very happy and caring person up until Annabeth's father, Fredrick, was diagnosed with cancer. It seemed that Athena would get angrier and angrier as the days passed. And once Fredrick died, she had turned completely bitter and sent all of her hatred towards Annabeth.

So when Annabeth came home from another lonely day at school only to find that the house was cleaned out and many suitcases were piled up at the door, she didn't really complain. She thought that maybe a move would be a good thing for both her and her mother. A fresh start. And what better way to achieve that than in the city of possibilities itself; New York.

Annabeth was less than thrilled however when she first laid eyes on their new home. It was a low rent apartment that looked like it desperately needed a cleaning job. You could practically see the mold growing from the ceiling and Annabeth swore she saw something moving from behind the dusted up couch. Athena didn't seem fazed by the disgusting apartment. Annabeth supposed that she had expected it since Athena quit her job back in California only to come to New York completely jobless. Annabeth thought that was bad planning on her part, but she let it slide since she figured her mom was still in a mourning state.

The weekend came and went and Annabeth was expected to start school early Monday morning. As Annabeth rode her bike (their only mode of transportation) to her new school, she couldn't help but feel anxious. What will her classes be like? Are the teachers nice? Will the other students like her? Will she be named as an outcast again? So many questions swirled through her brain as she walked up the steps to Yancy Academy.

As Annabeth made her way to the office, she did her best to be as inconspicuous as possible. She kept her eyes to the floor so she wouldn't have to look at anyone, but she still felt the stares burning into her back like a bad sunburn. She had finally made it to the office when a girl with brown hair, a red bandanna, and broad shoulders bumped into Annabeth's side with brute force.

"Watch it princess" she sneered.

Great, Annabeth thought. The first few minutes here and she's already managed to piss someone off. The secretary was nice enough and gave Annabeth her class number. The bell rang and Annabeth quickly scurried to find the dreaded classroom. She looked at the numbers on the doors, but they always seemed to mix around causing Annabeth's brain to ache. She cursed her stupid dyslexia, acting up in the worst possible moments.

She finally found the classroom that read '_306_' and opened the door. She already knew she was late so she wasn't very surprised to find every seat in the class taken. The teacher looked at Annabeth with a kind smile and said "Hello, you must be the new student Annabel right?"

"Annabeth actually."

The teacher nodded and smiled while motioning somewhere with her hand. "Well I'm Mrs. Peterson. Why don't you take a seat next to Mr. Jackson over there."

Annabeth smiled shyly in return and walked with her head down to her seat. She already started to hear the whispers from the other students and it made Annabeth want to crawl up in a hole and never come out. She was never what you could call a 'social butterfly', so she didn't really appreciate all of the attention.

Not long after Annabeth took her books out, Mrs. Peterson began her lesson. Annabeth immediately went into 'learn mode' and wrote down the notes in her binder. When Mrs. Peterson asked who was the sixteenth president of the United States, Annabeth enthusiastically raised her hand and replied with Abraham Lincoln. This was something that Annabeth would never be ashamed of; her intelligence.

Once Mrs. Peterson turned to face the board, Annabeth felt pellets of rolled up pieces of paper hit the back of her head. She turned around to find the girl that she had bumped into before snickering in the back of the class with two other girls. Annabeth sighed and thought, here we go again. She turned back to the front with the intention of ignoring the girls when a voice beside her spoke up.

"Oh very mature Clarisse."

Annabeth turned her head to the left to find the boy she was sitting beside glaring back at the girl, Clarisse, and Annabeth had to stop herself from gasping. This boy had shaggy untamed raven black hair, slightly tanned skin, and the most amazing eyes she has ever seen. They were a deep sea green and Annabeth could practically smell the ocean that they reminded her of. Annabeth may have only been twelve, but she knew deep inside her that this boy was undeniably cute. How had she not noticed him before?

"Shut up Prissy" Clarisse growled "This doesn't concern you."

Prissy? Annabeth thought. What kind of name was Prissy? It had to be something else.

"When you pick on innocent people it kind of does" the boy retorted.

Clarisse's nostrils flared. She obviously didn't like to be talked back to. "Listen here Jackson, you just wait till after school. I'll make both yours and Princess' lives a living nightmare." Annabeth scrunched up her nose in disgust. Why the heck was she suddenly named 'Princess'? To her, she was far from it.

The boy just smirked "Looking forward to it." Oh gods, could he be any cuter?

"Mr. Jackson and Ms. La Rue!" Annabeth jumped a bit in her seat. She never expected sweet old Mrs. Peterson to yell. "Is there a problem you'd like to discuss or can I continue my lesson?" The two mumbled their apologies and the rest of the class continued uneventful.

It was soon lunch and Annabeth sat alone in the small cafeteria. She still didn't know anyone here and she was too shy to go up to introduce herself just yet. So there she sat in the back corner of the cafeteria, by herself once again. That is, until she felt someone take the seat in front of her.

Annabeth looked up from her half eaten sandwich to find the boy who stood up for her. He gave her a genuine smile and began to eat his strangely coloured cookies. Annabeth never thought she'd ever see blue cookies, but she guessed there was a first for everything.

"Hi" he said, his eyes shining with friendliness "I'm Percy Jackson." Annabeth felt like she was choking on air. Was he actually talking to her? No one has willingly talked to Annabeth in years. Especially not boys who were as cute as he was.

It soon dawned on her that he was waiting for her to respond, so she quickly composed herself and replied with a soft voice "I'm Annabeth Chase."

Percy grinned widely and began to ask her more questions than Annabeth could count. He asked her stuff about California in which she replied with a steady, yet still shy, voice. Annabeth noticed quickly that he was a curious person, but a nice one too. He would sometimes make corny jokes that Annabeth would laugh lightly at and he'd catch her up to date with everything that she needed to know about Yancy.

"So how do you like the school so far?" Percy asked as Annabeth mounted her bike. It was the end of her first day, and it went better than Annabeth had imagined.

"It's ok I guess. That Clarisse chick needs to chill out though."

Percy laughed and Annabeth thought that she'd never heard something so amazing.

"I agree. My theory is that she's secretly some robotic experiment created by an evil scientist to cause misery to everyone she meets."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him "You're weird."

Percy grinned "Thank you. So are you. We're going to be great friends." Before Annabeth could respond, a silver car pulled up beside them. Percy sent a final wave to Annabeth and a 'See you tomorrow!' before getting into the car and driving away.

Annabeth stood frozen on her bike as she watched the car disappear down the street. She couldn't believe it. She shook herself out of her daze and rode home with, for the first time in months, a wide smile on her face.

She had just made a friend and his name was Percy Jackson.

**~oOo~**

Annabeth was nervous.

She was now fourteen and high school was just around the corner. She had enjoyed the past two years hanging out with Percy. It was awkward at first, but the two soon became best friends. They were so close that they were practically inseparable.

Despite Annabeth's tough home life, Percy seemed to make living in New York a whole lot better. He'd always find a way to make her laugh and cheer her up whenever she felt angry or depressed about her father's death or her mother's uncaring attitude. He was everything she wished for in a friend and so much more.

They knew everything about each other. From their pasts, to their dreams, to even their favourite ice cream topping. Most of the kids at their school would tease them relentlessly by reciting that old song about kissing in a tree. Annabeth would always blush up a storm while Percy would just roll his eyes and shrug it off as if it was nothing. It's not that Annabeth didn't think Percy was attractive, it's just that they were best friends. It felt too strange to think of him in that way.

Annabeth had been trying to get a hold of Percy all day. It was summer and their first day of high school was in a few days. It wasn't like Percy to not answer her calls and when she went to his apartment his mother, Sally, said that he wasn't home. Annabeth instantly knew something was up. She decided to look for him in their usual hangout spots when she found him at the park.

He was swinging halfheartedly on the swing set with his head down. Without saying a word, Annabeth sat on the swing next to him and waited. When Percy was ready to talk, he'd talk.

She heard Percy sniffle and saw him rub his eyes. Annabeth was shocked. In the whole two years that she's known him, she'd never seen Percy cry. He was always so happy and full of life that it hurt Annabeth to see him like this. Finally, after a long silence he spoke up in a soft voice.

"How'd you know I'd be here?"

Annabeth shrugged "Just a hunch I guess."

He turned his head to look at her and that's when Annabeth noticed the redness in his eyes. He gave her a small smile and said "Always such a Wise Girl."

Annabeth would usually smile at the nickname that he gave her two weeks into her move to New York, but she couldn't help but look at him with sad eyes. "What happened?"

Percy sighed and looked at the ground again "My parents are getting a divorce." Annabeth gasped. No wonder Sally had looked so hollow when she went over today.

Percy let out a wry laugh "Yeah. Apparently my Dad couldn't keep it in his pants and he got another woman pregnant."

"Oh gods Percy. I'm so sorry." She knew it didn't help, but she had to say something. She got up from the swing and gave Percy a hug. He hugged her back instantly and they stayed that way for a long time.

Percy hugged her tighter and Annabeth started to feel something in the pit of her stomach. Her face felt hot and her body tingled with a new sensation she's never experienced before. That's when it hit her. She couldn't actually, you know, _like_ her best friend... Could she?

Percy pulled back and gave her a grateful smile "Thanks Annabeth. You're the best." Annabeth felt like melting right there. Oh gods how can he just have this effect on her and not even know it? How did he suddenly turn from this cute little boy she used to know to this incredibly amazing best friend he is now?

They sat on the grass and Percy laid down and put his hands behind his head. He stared at the sky while furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. He looked so adorable Annabeth thought he was doing it on purpose. After a while he spoke again.

"I'm never going to fall in love."

Annabeth could practically feel her heart shatter. Here she was, finding out her true feelings for her best friend, and here he is, saying that he will never love someone. What chance could she have with him now? None, that's what.

"Why not?" Annabeth asked, doing her best to keep her voice steady.

"Because Annabeth. Love is just this poisonous concept. It makes you believe that it's this wonderful and amazing thing that can make you feel like you're flying, but it isn't. Sure, you might feel that way for a while, but eventually it will just come crashing down on you and destroy you completely."

Annabeth frowned "That's a pretty cynical way to look at it."

He shrugged "Maybe, but I'd rather not risk the heartache. I mean, we've got examples of how horrible love can be right before us. My mom and dad for instance. Or even your mom."

"What do you mean even my mom?"

"It's obvious that your mom's still in love with your dad. Why do you think she's been so bitter ever since he died? Because she was in love with him, it destroyed her when he left."

Annabeth had to admit that what he was saying made some sense (although she would never tell him that, he already has a big enough ego). Although, she just couldn't keep thinking the way he did. She believed that love was a beautiful thing that everyone deserved. She was never the hopeless romantic type, and she never would be, but one thing she knew for sure was that love was what made life worth living.

After a brief silence, Percy stood up and extended a hand out to her. "Come on, I heard of a great pizza place not too far from here. Let's grab some lunch, my treat."

Annabeth took his hand and the tingly sensation came back. "Will you be alright?"

Percy gave her a sad smile "As long as you're here, I'll be okay." Annabeth swore she almost had a heart attack. He then grinned widely and the sad Percy was replaced with the usual mischievously happy one. "Now let's go, I'm so hungry I could eat a cow!"

Annabeth laughed "Isn't the saying 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse'?"

Percy gaped at her "Why would you want to eat a horse? Shame on you Wise Girl! Shame I say!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes "You're so weird."

"Why thank you miss" Percy said while tipping a pretend hat to her "Best compliment I've had all day." He then pulled her towards the pizza place without ever letting go of her hand.

Annabeth didn't care what he said. She had a crush, and his name was Percy Jackson; her best friend.

**~oOo~**

Annabeth was annoyed.

It was the last year of high school and the four years have passed without a hitch. Well, mostly. Percy and her were closer than ever and she even managed to make a few other friends along the way. Her grades were at the top of her class and her mom even started to smile more often. Annabeth also moved out of the 'garbage dump', as she called it, and her and her mother found an apartment near Percy's place. Her mother had found a steady job working in a small architecture firm and they were slowly, but surely, working their way up.

Percy's father moved out and Sally started dating Annabeth and Percy's English teacher Paul Blofis. Percy was never open to the idea, he still isn't to this day, but Annabeth assured him that his mother knew what she was doing.

None of this is what bothered her though. No, what bothered her was the fact that Percy was getting handsomer every day and the other girls in their school were starting to take notice. Whenever she'd walk with him down the hallway, girls would send him flirtatious looks and winks that made Annabeth's blood boil. They didn't know him like she did! They didn't know about his strange blue food habit and that he hates being called Perseus!

Well, it's not like Percy ever gave them the time of day. When he said that he would never fall in love, he was being completely serious. He never so much as _liked_ a girl before. Sure, he would tell Annabeth that some girls were pretty, but he would never go beyond that. He swore to the bachelor life and Sally almost had a heart attack when she found out.

She scolded him and gave him this whole lecture about how love is a marvelous creation and that she wanted grandchildren in the future. Annabeth knew it was a waste of time since he just rolled his eyes and said that he'd settle with a puppy. Despite their best efforts, Annabeth and Sally could never change his mind on the topic.

It didn't matter to Annabeth though that he didn't so much as give these girls a second glance. It still angered her to no end that they would basically throw themselves to him thinking that they would have a chance.

"Hey Percy!" Annabeth cringed at the sound of Drew Tanaka's voice. She was one of the worst of Percy's stalkers, always wearing the shortest skirts and most revealing shirts. Most teenage boys would drool at the sight of her, but Percy, being the classy man that he is, thought it was pretty unnerving for a girl to be wearing such minimal amount of clothing at school.

Percy sighed and Annabeth could tell from his facial expression that he was already annoyed by her presence. "Hey Drew." Drew put her hand on Percy's arm and began caressing it softly. It made Annabeth want to barf and punch her in the face all at the same time.

"So, you know Prom's coming up soon."

Percy raised an eyebrow "Yeah, so?"

Drew took a step closer to Percy and said in what Annabeth thought was her most seductive voice "So... I think that we should go together. We'll dance, and eat, and then maybe afterwards we can-"

"No thanks."

Percy took Annabeth's hand and walked as fast as he could from the scene. Annabeth could hear Drew's frustrated shriek and as they rounded the corner, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"It's not funny Annabeth" Percy said while frowning.

"Yeah, it kinda is!" she exclaimed in-between breaths. Annabeth then composed herself and began imitating Drew's proposal. "I think we should go together" she said while mocking Drew's voice "We'll dance, and eat, and then maybe afterwards we can go back to my place for the nightly festivities."

For the first time since she's met him, Percy blushed a deep red. If Annabeth wasn't laughing so hard, she would have probably spontaneously combusted from how adorable he looked.

"She never said that last part" he grumbled.

She smirked "But you and I both know she was thinking it."

Percy was about to retort when Luke Castellan pulled Annabeth aside. He was the good looking football star and the player of the school. He had been after Annabeth since day one. Luke pinned her up against the wall and whispered into her ear "Hey Annie."

Annabeth pushed him off of her and growled "I told you never to call me that Castellan."

Luke smiled smugly "Still playing hard to get Chase?"

"I was never playing your stupid games" she spat "It's been four years Luke, just leave me alone."

"Oh Annie, you know I can't do that. Not when I'm taking you to Prom."

Annabeth's jaw clenched. This guy could never take a hint. "As if I would ever go with you."

He laughed lightly "Like you have a choice. All of the guys at the school already have a date. Even the chess nerds have one. So your only option is to go with me."

Yeah right, Annabeth thought, I'd rather be in a room filled with spiders than go with you. And that's saying something!

Before Annabeth even opened her mouth, another voice interjected "Actually, she's going with me." Annabeth turned around to find the beautiful eyes of her best friend. Percy stood there, glaring holes into Luke's face, and Annabeth could honestly say that he has never looked hotter.

To her surprise Percy wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close to his chest. Gods, if the whole human race was wiped out at this very moment, Annabeth wouldn't have cared. "Looks like you're going to have to find someone else because she's my date."

DATE?! Annabeth had to keep herself from hyperventilating. Oh who was she kidding?! Her face was probably as red as Clifford and her heart was beating so fast that she thought it would literally spring from her chest and start dancing in the middle of the hallway.

"You're kidding" Luke sneered.

"You wanna bet?" Holy schnitzel, how can Percy's voice sound so sexy when he's angry? Annabeth was melting. She was seriously melting like Frosty the Snowman.

Luke stormed off and Percy looked at Annabeth with a concerned face. "Are you okay?" he then put his hand to her forehead "You're burning up."

Annabeth wanted to respond with 'Well maybe if you weren't so damn perfect I wouldn't look like a total idiot right now'. But instead she settled for "Yeah I'm fine."

Percy smiled and said "Well, looks like we're going to Prom."

"Wait, you were serious? You weren't just saying that to get Luke off my back?" Did Aphrodite decide to just bless her today or what?

Percy draped his arm over her shoulder "Hell yeah I was serious. I mean, who better to go with than my best friend?"

Oh... Right.

Prom night eventually came around and despite going with Percy just as friends, Annabeth had the time of her life. Percy picked her up wearing his black tux with a deep blue tie which made him look like the most handsome man Annabeth has ever laid eyes on. He smiles when he sees her and it takes all of Annabeth's willpower to not go up to him and kiss him senseless.

She wears a gown that matches Percy's tie and she wore her hair down with her curls cascading down her back. Percy tells her that she looks beautiful which makes Annabeth blush a deep red. Gods how can he not know? How could he not know after all this time that she's had a major crush on him for over six years? Maybe that's part of the reason why Annabeth calls him Seaweed Brain.

They have an amazing time laughing and hanging out with their friends when the principal, Mr. D, comes onstage and announces the prom king and queen. His annoyed expression shows that he'd rather be anywhere else right now as he reads off the names from the envelope.

"Alright so your prom king is none other than Peter Johnson." The crowd rolls their eyes in unison. After all these years he never seems to get the names right, even when it's written out right in front of him. Most probably because he's practically drunk most of the time.

Annabeth had to basically push Percy on stage because of the shock he took. He never thought in a million years he would be named prom king and Annabeth just shook her head at him thinking 'If only you knew'.

"And your prom queen is Tina Grape."

"It's Thalia Grace!" yelled the punk dressed girl. The news seemed to finally settle into her head since not long after she yelled "Wait _WHAT_?!" Annabeth laughed as her good friend was pulled onto the stage. She had a look of fury on her face and with her fierce black outfit, she looked ready to murder practically everyone in the building.

Mr. D asked each of them to say a few words. Percy went up to the mic and started scratching behind his neck, which Annabeth knew was one of his nervous habits. "Um well, thanks for this and I hope you all have an awesome night."

Thalia snatched the microphone from Percy's hands and her voice thundered through the room as she yelled "STOLLS! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

The next thing you know Thalia was dumping punch juice all over the two brothers who unsuccessfully tried to escape Thalia's wrath. Annabeth heard Percy chuckle behind her and say "You see, those are the moments that I'll miss the most out of high school."

She turned to face him, but bumped into his chest instead. Her face felt like it had been lit up into flames as Percy smiled at her and extended his hand. "Do you want to dance?" Her stomach felt like there were a million butterflies swirling around as she nodded and walked with him to the dance floor.

They danced to Jesse McCartney's 'Why Don't You Kiss Her?' and Annabeth couldn't help but feel that the song was basically written for them. Why don't you kiss me Percy?! Goddammit I'm right here! Why can't you just let go of your stupid 'I will never love anyone' mantra and like me back?! Her angry thoughts bounced through her brain, but they soon disappeared as Percy brought her closer to him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he tightened his grip on her waist. Annabeth looked into his eyes and she knew. Now that she thought about it, she knew the whole time. She knew from the first day she met him that she was completely and undeniably in love with him.

She loved everything about him. From his strange quirks and habits to his loyal and caring personality. She loved the way his eyes would shine when he'd eat one of his mom's blue cookies. Or when his face would glow with pride when he figured out a problem. She loved that he could be so oblivious yet so attentive at the same time. She loved that he would always have her back and comfort her if need be. She loved that he was so genuine and charismatic with everyone and that he'd always find a way to help a friend in trouble. She loved his corny jokes and his goofy personality that always seemed to make her laugh. And most of all, she loved him because when the world turned her back on her, he was there offering his friendship. This Seaweed Brain captured her heart from day one by just being a good friend.

So as the song ended and Percy started leaning in towards her, Annabeth's heart began fluttering with excitement. This is it. Finally after all these years, she'll be able to kiss him. To show him all of her feelings towards him in one simple gesture. He's so close and Annabeth's eyes close in anticipation.

He kissed her... On the cheek.

Annabeth can't bear to open her eyes. She feels the tears threatening to fall and she would rather walk through glass than to let him see her cry. That's when a voice in the back of her head whispers 'You should have known'. And she agrees.

How could she have been so foolish? Percy would never like her that way. He's told her countless of times that he would never fall in love and yet, she still had this burning hope inside of her that he would change his mind. That he would wake up one day and realize that _she's_ the one he is destined to be with. _She's _the one that will always be there. _She's_ the one that will _always_ love him.

But sadly, love doesn't always work that way. She finally understood completely what Percy was trying to explain to her years ago. Love was destructive. It could break a person into pieces beyond repair. And that's how Annabeth felt right now... Broken.

Annabeth was in love with Percy Jackson. And he would never love her back. She had an unrequited love.

**~oOo~**

Annabeth was tired.

She was now twenty-one years old, studying at NYU, and she _desperately_ needed a break. Her classes today were boring as hell and she had spent most of her night doing some long ass project only to have the due date be moved three more days. She didn't get the chance to eat lunch and now she was walking home in the rain since she forgot her umbrella at her apartment.

Saying that Annabeth was having a bad day was an understatement.

She finally reached her apartment (which she bought when she had just turned twenty) and slumped against the wall. After catching her breath and wringing the water out of her hair, she hung up her wet coat and kicked off her muddy boots. Annabeth barely took five step into her apartment when she nearly had a heart attack.

"SURPRISE!"

Out of pure defensive instinct, Annabeth kicked the intruder where the sun don't shine. The culprit let out a high pitched squeel and tumbled to the ground. It was only then when Annabeth noticed her mistake and tried to apologize to a groaning Percy.

"Oh gods Percy I'm so sorry! Why did you do that?! You know I'm bad with surprises!" Annabeth frantically did her best to help him, but in all honesty, she had no idea what to do in these types of situations.

"Just... Tried... To... Say... Happy... Friendaversary" he wheezed.

Yes Annabeth and Percy were still the closest and most inseparable best friends anyone has ever seen. Despite Annabeth's clear feelings for him, she decided that having Percy in her life as just a friend was better than not having him in her life at all. Even though it still hurt her heart when she thought about it.

They had stuck together through thick and thin and they even decided to go to the same university. Percy studied marine biology at NYU and bought the apartment just across from Annabeth's so that whenever he would run out of food, he'd ransack Annabeth's fridge. Although Annabeth knew that he also chose the apartment just to be close to her. The two have never spent more than three days apart ever since they met.

Annabeth felt like the worst best friend in the world at the moment though. Not only did she kick Percy in his most sensitive area, she completely forgot about their friendaversary. And here he was being all kind and thoughtful by surprising her and decorating her apartment with balloons and streamers. Not to mention a huge blue cake in the middle of her dining table.

Annabeth took on a guilty expression and Percy shook his head at her. "You forgot didn't you?"

"I'm sorry! I've just been so busy with school, and the different projects, not to mention this guy keeps pestering me-"

"What guy?" Percy asked, his eyebrows scrunching together "Do you need me to talk to him?"

Annabeth shook her head. She knew Percy's version of 'talk' didn't really exchange many words. "No that's not necessary. He just keeps bugging me about going on a date with him."

"And what did you say?"

She punched him in the arm "No, obviously!"

Percy sent her a look while rubbing his arm before asking "And why not?"

She froze. What was she supposed to say? 'Oh because I'm still hopelessly in love with you after nine years. Now let's have some cake.' No way in hell was she going to admit that! It's bad enough that she can't move on from him, but now he's basically pushing her into the arms of another guy. Maybe if she got over him, this wouldn't be so hard, but she knew it would be nearly impossible to stop loving him. She was pathetic.

"He's just not my type. Why don't we have some cake now?"

She was glad the Percy dropped the subject and put his concentration on the cake. They ate side by side in comfortable silence when Percy spoke up.

"Hey Annabeth, you have something on your face."

"Where?"

"Right... There!" He then touched the tip of her nose with a finger filled with blue frosting.

She glared at him and said "Oh Percy, your hair is a complete mess. Let me fix that for you." She then proceeded to dump a handful of cake on his head.

He gaped at her and narrowed his eyes "Oh it's on Wise Girl."

The next twenty minutes consisted of a huge cake war. By the end, both of them were covered in blue cake as they slumped onto Annabeth's couch laughing hysterically. Once they had calmed down from their laughing fit, Annabeth leaned over and gave Percy a huge hug. She then gave him a kiss on the cheek and said "Thanks Percy. I was having a really crappy day before I came here."

He smiled "Well I'm glad I brightened your day Ms. Chase."

Annabeth grinned at his strange antics and that's when she noticed something. Percy was looking at her differently. Well, whenever he's looked at her she could tell his emotions as quickly as a blink of an eye. But this was something she couldn't quite figure out. He openly stared at her for at least three minutes before she snapped her fingers in his face.

"Hello? Earth to Seaweed Brain? You still there?"

Percy shook himself out of his daze and blushed a dark red. "Uh, umm, sorry. I kind of just zoned out there."

"That's okay. You want to watch a movie or something? I've got 'Clash of the Titans' on DVD."

Percy shook his head and stood up. He looked utterly confused and shocked. It seemed as if someone had just told him that Santa wasn't real. "No, thanks, I've got to umm... Organize my bathroom. Yeah, that's it."

He then rushed out of her apartment without another word. Okay... That was strange, even for Percy. Annabeth decided to just shrug it off and talk to him tomorrow. But the thing was that she didn't see him tomorrow. Or the day after that. Or the day after that.

Two whole weeks passed and Annabeth still hasn't seen or heard from Percy since their friendaversary.

Annabeth was starting to get frantic. Percy and her have never gone this long without speaking. Did she do something wrong? Had she made him angry somehow? Where in the name of everything that is good is he?!

It felt as if a piece of her was just ripped out of her soul. She went to his apartment and found nothing. She went to his mom's place and found nothing. She even went to all their little hangout spots and found nothing. NOTHING! How could he leave without telling anyone where he was going?! Where could he have gone knowing that no one will find him?

Annabeth wanted to hit her head against the wall for not thinking of it sooner.

She jumped in her car and drove. She drove as fast as she could to the destination she knew he would be; Montauk. Percy had always adored that place and every summer he would take Annabeth to his cabin beside the beach. Why did it not dawn on Annabeth sooner? She had no idea.

She finally made it to his cabin and sure enough, there he was sitting down on the sand in his trunks staring at the ocean. Annabeth felt so relieved that she wanted to tackle him to the ground and give him a massively large hug. But the closer she got to him, the angrier she felt.

Annabeth realized she did absolutely nothing wrong! If anything, he should be apologizing to her! How could he just leave her and not say anything about it?! They were _best friends_! That had to count for something! Especially if you've known each other for over nine years! She was so angry, she could feel the rage radiating off of her.

"PERSEUS JACKSON!"

Annabeth saw him visibly cringe at the sound of his full name. She knew he hated it, but at the moment, she didn't really give a rat's ass. It hurt when he left her and she was going to give him a piece of her mind.

"How dare you!" She stood in front of him with her arms on her hips and the angriest look that she could muster on her face "How dare you just leave me like that! What, were you too 'busy' to at _least_ send me a message or something?!"

He stood up from the ground "Anna-"

"No!" she yelled while cutting him off "You listen here you self-centered asshole! I have been worried sick! I had no idea where you've gone, or why you left, and I've been searching for you _everywhere_!" Annabeth felt the angry tears stream down her face, but she couldn't bring it in herself to care "I thought I had done something wrong! That I made you angry! That I somehow messed something up to drive you away! Do you have any idea how that feels?!"

"I'm not mad at you Annabeth" he said softly.

"Then what is it?!" Annabeth was pretty sure that the citizens of China could hear her yelling. Hell, probably the whole galaxy could. "What happened? Why did you-"

He kissed her.

Annabeth was so shocked she couldn't move. Percy _kissed_ her. PERCY WAS _KISSING_ HER! Sweet mother of all things that are beautiful and magical in this world, he was freaking kissing her!

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't see. She couldn't hear. She could only feel his lips on hers and _Gods_, it was the most incredible thing she had ever experienced. They were so soft. They tasted salty with a hint of blue cookies. Annabeth couldn't get enough of it.

It took her a moment, but she finally kissed him back.

She waited nine years for this. Nine long years to feel his lips on hers. To finally show him how much he means to her. Unfortunately, all too soon, he pulled back.

Annabeth was still in a daze. The man that she loved just kissed her and her mind went completely blank. She just wanted to stay in this moment forever. She knew her cheeks were flushed and that she had a dopey smile on her face, but she didn't seem to care. He kissed her and that's all that mattered.

"Annabeth" he whispered. Oh goodness her name had never sounded so amazing. "I left because I had to sort out my head. I had always said that I would never fall in love, but then being with you during our friendaversary made me realize something."

He took her hands in his and Annabeth felt like she was on cloud nine. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? She hoped he was. She hoped with all of her mind, body, and soul that he was.

He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes "Meeting you was fate, becoming friends with you was a choice, but falling in love with you... I had no control over."

He loves her.

The man that always said that he would never fall in love, loves _HER_! Out of all the people in the world, he chose her. Annabeth felt like she was flying. She was ecstatic! She just wanted to do some cartwheels and dance like a maniac and it took all of her self restraint to not do just that.

"So, long story short," he smiled sheepishly at her "I love you Annabeth Chase."

She kissed him.

She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. She kissed him with all the passion and love that she could muster. And without a single hesitation, he kissed her back the same way. Their mouths moved in sync as they kissed for what seemed like hours.

Once they couldn't hold it anymore, they pulled up for air. Annabeth looked into his beautiful sea green eyes and said with undeniable honesty "I love you too."

His grin was the widest she'd ever seen as he leaned in to kiss her again and whisper "Thank Gods" just above her lips.

Annabeth was happy that her first analysis was correct. Love was a wonderfully magnificent thing. As long as you find the right person, love will always be caring, and kind, and beautiful. You just have to believe that one day, it will find you.

Annabeth Chase was in love with Percy Jackson, and he loved her back.

_**Fin**_

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**Author's Note:**

**So what did you guys think? I had originally gotten this idea from Taylor Swift's song 'I'd Lie' believe it or not. I'm happy the way it turned out :) So yeah, if you could review please, I'd really appreciate it! Virtual blue cookies for everyone!**


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